KUALA LUMPUR: A total of RM70mil will be spent to stabilise the landslide-hit area of Bukit Antarabangsa.
Works Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed said the Cabinet had approved the amount, which would be recouped after authorities identify the parties responsible for the tragedy that claimed five lives on Dec 6.
He said immediate work would begin to stabilise the area in Taman Bukit Jaya, Taman Bukit Mewah and Jalan Wangsa 9, where 44 houses are still deemed unfit for occupation.
Residents of the 44 homes should be able to return after six months, said Mohd Zin.
Work at the rest of the affected area was scheduled to be completed within two years.
"With the RM70mil allocation, the Works Ministry will appoint competent contractors to begin rehabilitation work. It could start as soon as next week," he told reporters at his office after attending the Cabinet meeting.
He said his ministry had applied for the allocation from the Treasury on Dec 19 last year, but could not make any promises or announcements until the sum was approved.
Mohd Zin said that although it was not the Federal Government?s responsibility to rehabilitate the landslide area, it would take too long to wait for those responsible to come up with the funds.
"Actually, it is the responsibility of developers or land owners who had failed to obey the slope development specifications, and also that of the local authority, the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council and the Selangor state government," he said.
As such, Mohd Zin said the ministry would identify those responsible and claim the cost of repairs from them.
When contacted, Bukit Antarabangsa Residents Association chairman Dr Mohamad Rafick Khan welcomed the move to stabilise the area.
"It is much needed. But what we also need is the landslide risk assessment study of Bukit Antrabangsa prepared by the Malaysian Public Works Institute (Ikram).
"We must understand the risks we are facing when living in Bukit Antarabangsa. There is no peace at night. We see the risks, but how dangerous it is, we don't know," he said.